Friday Fungus: Your mushroom masters demand worship

And who wouldn't worship something so splendid!

...and you never know they just might provide you with some lottery numbers:

Phra Sirimangkharo is raking in a nice little earner in return visitors donating to his swelling coffers. He said that the fungus – a huge black and white thing that grew on a log outside the monks’ quarters – is believed to be magical. Apparently prayers to the fungus got the 684 number on September 1st. There were many winners in the locality who gave part of their lucky haul back to the temple as a merit payment.

Now they are waiting with baited breath to see if the latest numbers come up again for the next drawing on Saturday. The numbers are 326, 42.

I'm guessing that this is as good a way as any for choosing lottery numbers. Either that or this great lump of bracket fungus really does have magic powers!
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Worship - what we politicians require from you...

Respect - pah! Not good enough, not nearly good enough. We don't provide such fine leadership, such dynamic and creative direction for the masses, for mere 'respect'. Vladimir has shown the way for politicians everywhere - worship is what we require of you:

Vladimir Putin has become the object of veneration for a bizarre all-female sect whose followers believe that the Russian prime minister is a reincarnation of the early Christian missionary Paul the Apostle.

Members of the sect in a village 250 miles south-east of Moscow believe that the 58-year-old former KGB agent is on a mission from God. "According to the Bible, Paul the Apostle was a military commander at first and an evil persecutor of Christians before he started spreading the Christian gospel," the sect's founder, who styles herself Mother Fotina, said.

"In his days in the KGB, Putin also did some rather unrighteous things. But once he became president, he was imbued with the Holy Spirit, and just like the apostle, he started wisely leading his flock."

We are, of course, available for the curing of scrofula and other laying on of hands - plus the receiving of due reverence and sacrifice (preferably in the form of hard cash).

Get worshipping my people.

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